(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy today filed their opening brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Environmental Protection Agency v. Calumet Shreveport Refining, LLC, Case No. 23-1229. The case seeks to overturn an opinion from the U.S. Court of
Litigation-Federal
Back TO HOMEUSDA Must Do More to Regulate Genetically Modified Crops, Judge Rules
by Sarah Zimmerman (Agriculture Dive) A federal court overturned a 2020 rule that looked to accelerate innovation by allowing manufacturers to sidestep regulatory reviews. -- A federal court last week overturned a rule exempting genetically engineered plants from pre-market review, saying the
December 11, 2024 Read Full Article
California and the Need for Pocketbook Pragmatism
(Engine Technology Forum Policy Insider Blog) California’s influence on environmental and climate policy is both undeniable and increasingly controversial. A 2035 ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine (gasoline) light-duty vehicles and the mandated sale of zero-emission commercial vehicles
December 11, 2024 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Files Amicus Brief in CAFE Standards Case
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, filed an amicus brief in a consolidated set of court challenges to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks for Model Years 2027-2032,
November 27, 2024 Read Full Article
Growth Energy, CFAA File New Opening Brief in Long-Stayed RVO Case
(Growth Energy) On Wednesday, November 20th, Growth Energy, along with Clean Fuels Alliance America, filed a new opening brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Case No. 20-1046) challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) failure to fully account
November 27, 2024 Read Full Article
Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles
by Coral Davenport and Jack Ewing (New York Times) Three of the nation’s largest automakers, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, are strategizing with other car manufacturers on how to make a delicate request of President-elect Donald J. Trump: Don’t scrap the
November 23, 2024 Read Full Article
Trump Picks Fracking Firm CEO Chris Wright to Be Energy Secretary
by Evan Halper, Maxine Joselow, Maegan Vazquez and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) The executive has taken a defiant approach to fighting climate change by attacking policies that call for a shift from fossil fuels. -- President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has
November 17, 2024 Read Full Article
Why Trump’s Plan to Gut EPA Could Backfire
by Jean Chemnick (E&E News Climatewire) The president-elect wants to reduce the federal workforce and install loyalists at the top of agencies. That could undercut his plans to roll back regulations. -- ... EPA has a staff of more than 17,000 people
November 15, 2024 Read Full Article
Special Issue: What to Expect during the Trump II Presidency
(American Energy Society/Energy Matters) From experience, we all know that when Donald Trump is president, nothing is certain. It is hard to predict how the energy sector will change, both domestically or around the world. This special issue of Energy Matters
November 12, 2024 Read Full Article
Attorney General Hilgers Files Brief to Stop Biden-Harris Administration’s Electric-Truck Mandate
(Office of Nebraska Attorney General) Attorney General Mike Hilgers led a coalition of states in filing a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today. Hilgers’s suit is aimed at stopping the Biden-Harris Administration from imposing an
November 05, 2024 Read Full Article
US Petroleum Refiners Discuss Biofuel Projects, Markets in Q3 Financials
by Ron Kotrba (Biobased Diesel Daily) Amid significant drops or losses in income for the third quarter of 2024, three U.S. petroleum refiners who also manufacture renewable diesel provided newsworthy updates on their biofuel operations and market outlooks in recent quarterly
November 05, 2024 Read Full Article
US Court Set to Weigh Biofuel Blend Mandates
by Cole Martin and Matthew Cope (Argus Media) A US court on Friday (November 1, 2024) will weigh some novel issues that could affect enforcement of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the federal program that sets minimum biofuel blending levels for
November 01, 2024 Read Full Article
Reflections on Elections, Internal Combustion Engines, and Electric Vehicles
by Allen Schaeffer (Engine Technology Forum) ... (T)his year vehicle and fuels policy - mostly aimed at electric vehicles (EVs), but also some proposed bans on internal combustion engines (ICEs) - has been a campaign-year issue at the national and
October 30, 2024 Read Full Article
Going for Gold: American Coalition for Ethanol’s 2024 Conference
by Katie Schroeder (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The American Coalition for Ethanol’s 2024 conference, themed “The Gold Standard,” featured important figures with industry impact, including representatives from Summit Carbon Solutions and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Held in Omaha, Nebraska, this year’s
October 24, 2024 Read Full Article
California Expects EPA to Approve 2035 Zero Emission Vehicle Plan
by David Shephardson (Reuters) A senior California official said on Tuesday he expects the Environmental Protection Agency will approve the state's landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035. The California Air Resources Board has sought a waiver from
October 23, 2024 Read Full Article
Biofuel Groups Welcome Supreme Court Decision on SRE Litigation
(Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy) Two prominent biofuel groups—the Renewable Fuels Association and Growth Energy—commented on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari on petitions pertaining to the administration of small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard, issuing
October 22, 2024 Read Full Article
EPA: 129 SRE Petitions Currently Pending
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on Oct. 17 released updated small refinery exemption (SRE) data, reporting that 129 SRE petitions are now pending under the Renewable Fuel Standard, up from 50 as of mid-September. According to EPA
October 18, 2024 Read Full Article
So Much for the End of The Cold War
by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/South Dakota Farmers Union) Do we laugh or cry when we hear the president of the American Petroleum Institute (API) say the “Cold War” between ethanol and oil is over as the two industries are
October 04, 2024 Read Full Article
IL Corn Growers Sues U.S. EPA and U.S. DOT
by Betty Haynes (Farm Progress) ICGA says EPA’s multipollutant rule and DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rule would devastate agriculture. -- The Illinois Corn Growers Association has sued U.S. EPA for its multipollutant rule and the U.S. Department of Transportation for
September 27, 2024 Read Full Article
Oil and Gas Company Challenges EPA's Renewable Fuel Decision
by Shayna Greene (Bloomberg Law) Suit can be brought again because of recent opinion; D.C. Circuit in July vacated other agency denial decision -- Oil and gas company REH Co. on Wednesday challenged the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2019 decision to deny a Wyoming refinery exemptions
September 26, 2024 Read Full Article
Republican Lawmakers Call Summit Pipeline Approval an ‘Attack on the Constitution’: Lawsuits Challenge Permit Approval in State and Federal Courts
by Cami Koons (Iowa Capital Dispatch) Republican lawmakers opposing the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline said the Iowa Utilities Commission’s approval of the project was an attack on “God-given” Fifth Amendment rights. The remarks came from a group of nearly 40 lawmakers who
September 12, 2024 Read Full Article
RFA, Other Petitioners File Initial Brief in Lawsuit Over EPA’s Tailpipe Standards
(Renewable Fuels Association) In a detailed brief submitted late Friday to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Renewable Fuels Association and 55 other parties argued that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unlawfully exceeded its statutory authority and acted arbitrarily and capriciously by
September 10, 2024 Read Full Article
CFTC Cracks Down: Escalating Enforcement and Raising the Stakes in the Voluntary Carbon Market
by Deanna R. Reitman , Julian E. Harrell , and( Tamara Criss (Faegre Drinker) - The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently granted the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) summary judgment in its first enforcement action
September 06, 2024 Read Full Article
EPA Faces Lawsuit on RFS Volumes Delay
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) EPA Delay on 2026 RFS Volumes Release Could Draw Legal Action by Ethanol Group -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has until next week to release a proposed rulemaking for 2026 Renewable Fuel Standard volumes or
August 29, 2024 Read Full Article
Climate Disaster Survivors Urge Merrick Garland, DOJ to Prosecute Big Oil
by Saul Elbein (The Hill) Survivors of “climate disasters” are calling on federal prosecutors to bring fossil fuel companies to court. The more than 1,000 signatories of Thursday’s letter to the Department of Justice lived through wildfires, floods and heat waves caused or exacerbated by
August 20, 2024 Read Full Article
Refiners Launch New Suit to Cut RFS ‘Cellulosic’ Volume
(Inside EPA) Refiners are suing EPA in district court in an effort to force the agency to cut its 2023 volume requirements for cellulosic biofuel under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), an action aimed at sidestepping potential procedural hurdles in their
August 19, 2024 Read Full Article
EPA Virtually Mandates Electric Vehicles: Heavy- and Light- Duty EPA Carbon Standards Face Fierce Push Back.
by Keith Reid (Fuels Market News) ... If reducing carbon is truly the goal, meeting that goal should focus on the required end results and not mandating the specific approach to get to that point. However, the EPA emissions standards, announced
August 16, 2024 Read Full Article
Delek Idled Biodiesel Plants in Q2 Due to 'Overall Decline' in Market -- OPIS
by Aaron Alford (OPIS/Market Watch) Delek U.S. Holdings idled its three biodiesel plants "temporarily" during the second quarter of 2024 due to "the decline in the overall biodiesel market," the company said Tuesday. Pausing operations at its biodiesel facilities in Arkansas, Texas
August 09, 2024 Read Full Article
Executives Say Emissions Disclosures Are Here to Stay Despite Challenges to U.S. Rules
by Leah Garden (Trellis) California and the EU's corporate disclosure mandates are acting like a port in a storm amidst federal upheaval. -- In recent months, new mandates requiring public companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions have been challenged in the
August 06, 2024 Read Full Article
3 Issues to Watch with the Big US Bet on ‘Clean’ Hydrogen
by Clare Fieseler and Brian Dabbs (E&E News Energywire) The Biden administration is preparing decisions that will determine the industry’s fate. --- ... Much of the industry — and Biden’s Democratic allies on Capitol Hill — are frustrated by the Treasury Department’s
August 06, 2024 Read Full Article
US Court Rejects EPA Denials of 2022 Small Refinery Biofuel Waivers
by Richard Valdmanis (Reuters) A federal appeals court said on Friday it rejected the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision in 2022 to deny small oil refineries temporary waivers from the nation’s biofuels blending program, and sent the matter back to the agency
July 29, 2024 Read Full Article
Lupton Petroleum, Brad Hall Associates Retire 273,519 RINs as Part of EPA Settlement Agreement
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on July 18 announced it has reached a settlement with Lupton Petroleum Products Inc., and its affiliate Brad Hall Associates Inc., for violations of the Clean Air Act’s conventional and renewable fuel
July 23, 2024 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Agriculture and the Courts
by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/South Dakota Farmer's Union) SCOTUS. Not just another Washington, D.C., acronym where everything is given an alphabetized name – USDA, DOE, EPA, DOJ, FBI, DOC – there is no end to the acronyms of our
July 21, 2024 Read Full Article
Clean Fuels Notifies EPA of Intent to Sue Over 2026 RFS Rule Delay
(Clean Fuels Alliance America) Clean Fuels Alliance America delivered a formal notice of intent to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to issue timely 2026 Renewable Fuel Standards. By statute, EPA is required to finalize volumes 14 months before
July 19, 2024 Read Full Article
Republicans Lay Groundwork for Post-Chevron Senate
Emma Dumain (E&E News Greenwire) Lawmakers from both parties have been plotting their response -- Senate Republicans are laying the groundwork for how they will “reclaim legislative authority” following a landmark Supreme Court ruling. More than a dozen GOP senators are forming an
July 16, 2024 Read Full Article
Where Will the Reductions Come From? High Octane BioEthanol to the Rescue
by Doug Durante (Clean Fuels Development Coalition/Biofuels Digest) The evidence seems overwhelming that Electric Vehicles are not going to be able to meet the timeline predicted by the Biden Administration and consequently, fail to provide the reductions in pollution the U.S.
July 08, 2024 Read Full Article
Ethanol Producers, Farmers Sue EPA over Tailpipe Rule
by David Murray (High Plains Journal) The Renewable Fuels Association and National Farmers Union filed a lawsuit June 17 in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently finalized light- and medium-duty vehicle emissions standards. RFA and NFU
July 08, 2024 Read Full Article
Leading Scientists Urge Court to Reject Faulty Land Use Change Arguments
(Renewable Fuels Association) The nation’s leading experts in agricultural economics and biofuels lifecycle analysis urged the D.C. Circuit Court last week to reject erroneous claims made by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) in its lawsuit challenging EPA’s 2023-2025 Renewable Fuel Standard volumes. In its
July 08, 2024 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Files Motion to Intervene in AFPM’s Case against EPA on Cellulosic Biofuel
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, filed a motion yesterday to intervene in a case brought by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The case aims to force EPA
July 05, 2024 Read Full Article
Renewable Fuel Standards for 2023-25 Appropriately Set, EPA Says
by Shayna Greene (Bloomberg Law) Supplemental volumes already partially upheld by court; Recordkeeping necessary for food feedstock eligibility -- The Environmental Protection Agency defended its latest standards for renewable fuel from various attacks by both environmental and industry groups. “EPA appropriately set the specific
July 02, 2024 Read Full Article
Supreme Court Curbs Federal Agency Power, Overturning Chevron Precedent
by Ann E. Marimow (Washington Post) The Supreme Court on Friday curtailed the power of federal government agencies to regulate vast swaths of American life, overturning a 40-year-old legal precedent long targeted by conservatives who say the government gives unaccountable bureaucrats too
June 28, 2024 Read Full Article
Liquid Fuels, Enviros File First Lawsuits over Fuel Economy Rule
by Alex Guillen (Politico Pro) Leading oil and biofuel groups and a litany of auto dealers have challenged the Transportation Department’s new fuel economy rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. That sets up a lottery to determine
June 27, 2024 Read Full Article
API, Truckers and Agriculture Organizations File Lawsuit to Stop EPA’s Emissions Rule for New Heavy-Duty Vehicles
(Aamerican Petroleum Institute) The American Petroleum Institute (API) today filed a lawsuit in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) heavy-duty (HD) vehicle emissions standards for model years (MY) 2027-2032. “Today, we are standing up for consumers who
June 18, 2024 Read Full Article
Electric Vehicles Emerge as Flashpoint in 2024 Election
by Liz Goodwin (Washington Post) But now, facing a tough reelection climate in November, some Senate Democrats who are fighting for their political lives in red states are distancing themselves from aspects of President Biden’s EV policies as Republicans go on
June 17, 2024 Read Full Article
Largest US Oil Trade Group Sues to Block Biden's EV Push
by Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) The nation's largest oil trade group, which includes Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N), filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block the Biden administration's efforts to reduce planet-warming emissions from cars and light trucks and encourage electric vehicle manufacturing,
June 13, 2024 Read Full Article
Court Ruling Sets Important Precedents for Future of RFS
by Geoff Cooper (Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) ... In May, yet another high-stakes legal challenge to the RFS was rebuffed, establishing some important precedents and putting the program on solid footing for the future. A decision from the D.C. Circuit Court
June 05, 2024 Read Full Article
Podcast - Small Refinery Exemption Litigation Update
(Holland & Knight) In this episode of our "An Energized Exchange" podcast series by our Energy & Natural Resources Industry Sector Group, attorneys Andy Kriha and Susan Lafferty delve into the intricacies of ongoing litigation surrounding small refinery exemptions. The speakers
May 30, 2024 Read Full Article
RFA, Growth Energy Petition Supreme Court to Review Fifth Circuit SRE Decision
(Renewable Fuels Association) The Renewable Fuels Association today, along with Growth Energy, filed a petition in the Supreme Court of the United States requesting review of the Fifth Circuit Court’s recent opinion that it is a proper venue to consider challenges to the
May 21, 2024 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog: Federal Appeals Court Upholds EPA Action on 2020-2022 Renewable Fuel Standard Volumes
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Renewable Fuel Standards set for 2020 to 2022 will stay in place after a federal appeals court on Tuesday denied review to a group of refining companies. Numerous lawsuits were filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection
May 15, 2024 Read Full Article
Commodity Groups Appeal Fuel Test Rule
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Commodity Groups: Ethanol Threatened by Fuel-Test Rule Buried in EV Mandate -- New fuel economy test procedures contained in the Biden administration's final pollution standards for passenger vehicles penalize ethanol and should be declared unlawful, three
May 03, 2024 Read Full Article
Ethanol Groups Challenge Fuel Economy Formula In EPA’s Auto Rule
(Inside EPA) Several ethanol groups are challenging EPA’s update to test-fuel requirements, adopted alongside the agency’s final passenger vehicle emissions rulemaking, claiming that a revised fuel economy calculation to account for the test fuel unlawfully boosts the stringency of fuel economy
May 01, 2024 Read Full Article
Court Wrestles with EPA Rules for Biogas: Judges Questioned Why the Agency Imposed One Set of Requirements on Biogas Producers and Another on Other Biofuels.
by Marc Heller (E&E News PM) A federal appeals court grappled Thursday with EPA’s regulation of biogas production for transportation fuel, a fresh point of contention in the renewable natural gas industry. During oral arguments on a lawsuit from the Coalition for
April 26, 2024 Read Full Article
Democrats Go to Court to Defend Biden’s New Clean Car Rule
by Lesley Clark (E&E News PM) California is "not going to watch radical Republicans put the profits of big oil over the health of our planet," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. -- A coalition of Democratic-led states is countering Republican critics of the
April 24, 2024 Read Full Article
Dickinson County Leaders Unanimously Approve Pipeline Ordinance
by Jared Strong (Iowa Capital Dispatch) Supervisors of Dickinson County voted unanimously Tuesday to implement new restrictions on the placement of carbon dioxide pipelines to create larger buffers between them and people and animals. “We’ve tried to balance both sides,” said Bill
April 17, 2024 Read Full Article
Attorney General Bird Leads 13-State Lawsuit to Pull the Plug on Biden Electric Vehicle Handout and Defend Ethanol
(Office of Iowa Attorney General) Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today led a 13-state coalition in a lawsuit to pull the plug on Biden’s electric vehicle handout and defend ethanol. -- In Biden’s most recent attack in the war on gas vehicles, he
April 12, 2024 Read Full Article
D.C. Circuit Upholds California Clean Air Act Waiver
by Lesley Clark (E&E News) The ruling is a major boost to the Golden State’s ability to set tough tailpipe emissions standards — and the Biden administration’s climate agenda. -- An influential federal appeals court has allowed California to retain its longstanding
April 12, 2024 Read Full Article
Five Major Issues for EPA and Farmers EPA Administrator Highlights $4 Billion in 'Green Fund' for Rural Communities
by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Friday spotlighted rural investments in new green funds while saying the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) model update is coming in the "very near future"
April 08, 2024 Read Full Article
US Judge Strikes down Biden Highway Climate Rule for States
by David Shepardson and Nate Raymond (Reuters) A U.S. judge in Texas struck down a climate rule adopted by the Biden administration requiring states to measure and set declining targets for greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles using the national highway system. Texas
March 29, 2024 Read Full Article
RFS Fight Launches in Appeals Court Interest Groups Argue EPA Illegally Finalized RFS Volumes Through 2025
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Though the EPA finalized Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for 2023 to 2025 in June 2023, the future of the rule could change depending on the outcome of a legal battle playing out in a federal
March 28, 2024 Read Full Article
Biden Eases EV Rule but Keeps Heat on Automakers
by Mike Lee (E&E News) The Biden administration released one of several coming car regulations Tuesday, a clean vehicle formula designed to push automakers to build more fuel-efficient or electric vehicles. The Department of Energy softened its “petroleum equivalency factor” after complaints
March 20, 2024 Read Full Article
SEC Adopts Rules to Enhance and Standardize Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors
(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) The Securities and Exchange Commission today adopted rules to enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures by public companies and in public offerings. The final rules reflect the Commission’s efforts to respond to investors’ demand for more consistent,
March 08, 2024 Read Full Article
Final Rule in Response to Request from States for Removal of Gasoline Volatility Waiver (E15)
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) The Environmental Protection Agency is responding to requests from state governors to remove the 1-psi volatility waiver for gasoline-ethanol blends containing 10 percent ethanol in their states. The governors made their request pursuant to CAA section 211(h)(5),
February 22, 2024 Read Full Article
These Ethanol Plants Want to Bury CO2 in Kansas to Cut Their Carbon Footprints
by Calen Moore and Celia Llopis-Jepsen (KMUW/NPR) Kansas has three carbon dioxide pipelines. Next, it could get two carbon sequestration wells, linked to ethanol plants. Here’s what we know. Two companies seek to build the first sites in Kansas where carbon dioxide emissions
February 20, 2024 Read Full Article
Senate Panel Backs Bill to Aid GEVO Biofuels Project
by Bob Mercer (KELOLand) Legislation to help clear the way for a renewable-fuels company to build a plant at Lake Preston is moving ahead at the South Dakota Capitol. The Senate Commerce and Energy Committee on Thursday voted 7-2 in favor of
February 17, 2024 Read Full Article
Love Them or Loathe Them, Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands Are a Growing Biofuel Battleground
by Louis Sahagun (Los Angeles Times) ... “They’re just a wildfire waiting to happen,” the Lincoln County commissioner says of the low, bushy trees. ... In parts of California and much of the Great Basin, land owners have declared war on pinyon pines
February 12, 2024 Read Full Article
North Dakota Commissioners Say Counties Won't Be Able to Restrict Summit Carbon Pipeline
by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) The Ames-based company that wants to build a $5.5 billion carbon capture pipeline across Iowa and neighboring states got a boost as North Dakota regulators signaled cities and counties there will be unable to impose
January 29, 2024 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Statement on 11th Circuit Court of Appeals Dismissal of SRE Challenge
(Growth Energy) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit dismissed Hunt Refining Company v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today, ruling that the small refinery exemption (SRE) challenge brought by Hunt under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) could not be heard by the
January 17, 2024 Read Full Article
‘Maximum Urgency and De Facto Risk’ — EPA Braces for 2024
by Kevin Bogardus (E&E News Greenwire) EPA needs to soon cement protections on air, climate and water to avoid those rules being buried by a Republican-led Congress and White House in 2025 if the coming elections turn against Democrats. In addition,
January 15, 2024 Read Full Article
RFA Petitions Court on RFS Exemptions
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) RFA Petitions Appeals Court for Rehearing on RFS Exemptions Decision -- The Renewable Fuels Association on Monday asked for a rehearing on a previous court decision to overturn EPA's rejection of 100 small-refinery waiver requests to
January 09, 2024 Read Full Article
Viewpoint: SAF, E15 May Lift US Ethanol Demand in 2024
by Matthew Cope and Payne Williams (Argus Media) Ethanol demand may get a boost next year as the US paves a path for ethanol-derived sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the potential for permanent year-round sales of 15pc ethanol gasoline (E15) in
December 29, 2023 Read Full Article
EPA Delivers Final Midwest E15 Rule to White House OMB
(Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on Dec. 18 delivered its final rule to allow year-round E15 sales in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin to the White House Office of Management and Budget. OMB reviews marks
December 20, 2023 Read Full Article
States Oppose EPA's E15 March Proposal: Iowa, Nebraska Ask Court to Require EPA to Finalize E15 Rule Before March
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The states of Iowa and Nebraska asked a federal court on Wednesday to require EPA to "promptly" finalize a rule to allow permanent, year-round E15 sales in eight states, rejecting the agency's proposed plan to
December 15, 2023 Read Full Article
Pipeline Company Prevails over Two County Ordinances
by Jared Strong (Iowa Capital Dispatch) A federal judge on Monday permanently barred two Iowa counties from enforcing their ordinances that restrict the placement of carbon dioxide pipelines. Shelby and Story counties adopted restrictions after two companies proposed to build pipeline systems
December 06, 2023 Read Full Article
Congress Watches from Sidelines as Courts Set Ethanol Policy
by Marc Heller (Politico Pro E&E Daily) In the wake of another court ruling on the renewable fuel standard, there's scant sign lawmakers can pass meaningful changes. -- After a federal court ruled last week that small petroleum refiners should be given
November 30, 2023 Read Full Article
A Passenger Is Suing United Airlines for Its Environmental Claims
by Joe Kunzler (Simple Flying) Alexander Zajac has filed litigation against United Airlines feeling misled. But is this a matter of reading the fine print? Simple Flying reveals. United Airlines claims to be committed to sustainability with a goal to be 100%
November 29, 2023 Read Full Article
Action Allowing Year-Round Sales of E15 in the US Could Be Near: Trade Group
by Kate Winston (S&P Global) December deadline looming in lawsuit; Spending bill could be vehicle in 2024 -- In the next few months, legislative or legal proceedings could set the stage to allow year-round sales of a gasoline blend containing 15% ethanol
November 27, 2023 Read Full Article
US Court Rejects EPA's Decision to Withhold Small Refinery Biofuel Waivers
by Heather Timmons (Reuters) A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday said it struck down the Biden administration's decision to deny small refiners "hardship waivers" that exempt them from nation's biofuel mandates, in a win for the refining industry. In July, the Environmental
November 24, 2023 Read Full Article
US Supreme Court Won't Hear Minnesota 'Clean Car' Challenge
by Scott McClallen (The Center Square/Crow River Media) The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an auto group's challenge of Minnesota adopting "clean car rules" that will require automakers to introduce more low-emission vehicles. Minnesota will be the first Midwest state to
October 18, 2023 Read Full Article
Major Navigator CO2 Pipeline Project Is on Hold while the Company Reevaluates the Route in 5 States
by Josh Funk (Associated Press) Navigator CO2 Ventures announced Tuesday that it is putting on hold one of the two biggest proposed carbon dioxide pipeline projects in the Midwest so it can reassess the project. The company withdrew its application for a
October 11, 2023 Read Full Article
EPA Adviser Expects E15 Rule This Year
by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) EPA Official Discusses E15, ESA Pesticide Challenges and PFAS Contamination -- Rod Snyder, senior adviser for agriculture at EPA, said Monday that the agency is on course to finalize a rule allowing permanent sales of E15
September 27, 2023 Read Full Article
Lawsuits Initiated Against EPA on the Renewable Fuels Standard, Despite Rising Energy Prices
by Michelle Rook (AgWeb) Environmental and fossil fuel organizations have launched a series of lawsuits against the RFS which establish annual volume targets for various renewable fuels for 2023 through 2025. Nine cases have been consolidated in the D.C. Circuit
September 19, 2023 Read Full Article
D.C. Circuit Raises Tough Questions for Critics of EPA’s Auto GHG Rule
(Inside EPA) Liquid fuels groups and Republican state officials appeared to face tough questioning from appellate judges during Sept. 14 oral arguments in their case challenging EPA’s latest round of vehicle greenhouse gas standards, including whether the rule illegally “mandates” greater
September 15, 2023 Read Full Article
Auto Week at D.C. Circuit Raises ‘Major Questions’ for EPA
by Lesley Clark (E&E News Climatewire) A powerful federal appeals court will hear arguments this week in three challenges to the Biden administration’s efforts to curb the largest source of planet-warming pollution in the United States — and the battles have
September 11, 2023 Read Full Article
Minnesota EV Mandate Lawsuit on Hold
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Federal Judge Stays Minnesota Lawsuit Challenging State's EV Mandate -- A federal judge in Minnesota has stayed an ongoing lawsuit to prevent the state from adopting California's electric-vehicle mandate as a similar case continues in a
September 06, 2023 Read Full Article
Auto Dealers Urge SCOTUS to Stop Minnesota’s EV Push
by Lesley Clark (Politico Pro Climatewire) "Minnesota is not California," car dealers said of efforts to adopt the Golden State's auto emissions standards. -- Minnesota auto dealers are asking the nation's highest bench to stop their state from modeling California's strict vehicle
September 05, 2023 Read Full Article
Refiners Drop Suit over RFS Compliance Schedule
(Inside EPA) Small refiners have abandoned their lawsuit against EPA’s revised timeline for compliance with renewable fuel standard (RFS) biofuel blending volumes, following their loss in a closely related case that addressed many of the same arguments over the allegedly compressed
August 25, 2023 Read Full Article
Biofuels Groups, Refiners Spar Over Legality Of 2020-2022 RFS Volumes
(Inside EPA) Biofuels groups and refiners are sparring over the legality of EPA’s biofuel blending volumes for 2020 through 2022 under the renewable fuel standard (RFS), after criticizing other aspects of EPA’s volumes rule, as biofuels groups seek to maximize volumes
August 21, 2023 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Files Intervenor Brief in Support of EPA against Latest RFS Challenge
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuels trade association, filed a motion to intervene today in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) v. EPA et al. (Case No. 23-1277). CBD is
August 18, 2023 Read Full Article
Oil Majors Target Judges as Climate Suits Multiply
by Arianna Skibell (Politico's Power Switch) Oil companies and their allies are trying out a new legal defense tactic: Blame the judge. The claims — which include accusations that judges are biased — come as a flood of lawsuits against the fossil
August 15, 2023 Read Full Article
Ethanol Report on Current Issues
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) The Renewable Fuels Association has been working on a couple of issues this summer that are important to the future of the ethanol industry. In this edition of The Ethanol Report podcast, RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper provides an
August 10, 2023 Read Full Article
Iowa AG Brenna Bird Sues EPA over Ethanol Rules, Saying It 'Dragged Its Feet' on E-15 Sales
by Galen Bacharier (Des Moines Register) Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is suing the Environmental Protection Agency, as Iowa and Nebraska try to force the agency to issue final rules allowing the year-round sale of gasoline blended with 15% ethanol. The Republican
August 08, 2023 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Sides with EPA, Calls Out Oil Industry in RFS Case Brief
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuels trade association, filed an amicus brief this week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in The San Antonio Refinery, LLC, et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The case pertains
July 26, 2023 Read Full Article
EPA Denies Small Refinery Petitions
by Cindy Zimmerman (Energy.AgWired.com) On Friday, EPA announced its decision denying 26 petitions seeking small refinery exemptions (SREs) from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for one or more of the compliance years between 2016 and 2023. Consistent with the April and July 2022
July 17, 2023 Read Full Article
Green Group Files Lawsuit Challenging EPA Biofuels Rule
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico Pro) The Center for Biological Diversity is again challenging EPA's rule setting biofuel blending requirements in a federal appeals court, arguing the agency failed to comply with the Endangered Species Act. The lawsuit filed Thursday in the the D.C.
July 14, 2023 Read Full Article
Central Valley Man Sentenced to over 6 Years in Prison for $9 Million Cow Manure Ponzi Scheme
(U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of California) Ray Brewer, 66, of Porterville, and Sheridan, Montana, was sentenced today to six years and nine months in prison for running a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme where he purported to turn cow manure into green
June 29, 2023 Read Full Article
Railroad Industry Sues Calif. over Zero-Emission Train Mandate
by Anne C. Mulkern (Politico Pro Climatewire) The lawsuit — filed in federal court — argues that state regulators lack the authority to phase out diesel-powered trains. -- The railroad industry hopes to stop a California mandate to phase out diesel-powered
June 20, 2023 Read Full Article
19 States Target EPA Waiver for California’s Advanced Clean Trucks Rule
by John Kingston (Freight Waves) Overwhelmingly red states challenge waiver on rule governing what OEMs must sell into the state by 2042 -- Nineteen states have sought appellate court review in a challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency waiver granted to
June 08, 2023 Read Full Article
The EPA Faces Questions About Its Approval of a Plastic-Based Fuel With an Astronomical Cancer Risk
by Sharon Lerner (ProPublica) The Environmental Protection Agency is facing a lawsuit filed by a community group and questions from a U.S. senator over the agency’s approval of fuels made from discarded plastic under a program it touted as “climate-friendly.” The new
June 02, 2023 Read Full Article
California Man Admits to Fraud Scheme Involving Renewable Fuel Credits
(U.S. Department of Justice) Ijomah Oputa, 54, of Los Angeles, California, pleaded guilty and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden to 40 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud in connection with the generation and sale of fraudulent renewable
May 23, 2023 Read Full Article
EPA Delivers Final RFS ‘Set’ Rule to White House OMB
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has delivered its final rule to set 2023, 2024 and 2025 Renewable Fuel Standard blending obligations to the White House Office of Management and Budget. OMB review marks a final stage
May 18, 2023 Read Full Article
Tesoro to Pay $27.5 Million for Violating Previous Court Order Requiring It to Reduce Air Pollution at Its Martinez, Calif. Refinery
(U.S. Department of Justice) Settlement Will Result in Cleaner Air Due to Tesoro’s Forfeiture of Air Emission Credits -- The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company will pay a $27.5
April 27, 2023 Read Full Article
Refiners Urge Court to Scrap EPA’s Compressed RFS Compliance Schedule
(Inside EPA) Refiners say that EPA’s compressed schedule for compliance with the renewable fuel standard (RFS) violated their constitutional rights and must be overturned, in the latest challenge to deadline changes ostensibly designed to soften impacts from the agency’s delay
April 24, 2023 Read Full Article
EPA, CBD Reach Proposed Settlement over RFS ESA Review Public Comment DEADLINE May 17, 2023
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA on April 17 announced plans to comply with the consultation requirements of the Endangered Species Act as part of its upcoming Renewable Fuel Standard “set” rule under a proposed settlement agreement related
April 18, 2023 Read Full Article
Growth Energy Aims to Ensure RFS Compliance in Latest Case against EPA
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuels trade association, filed its opening brief today in its challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) failure to enforce compliance under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In Growth Energy v. U.S. Environmental Protection
April 12, 2023 Read Full Article
L.A. Gas Tycoon, Mormon Polygamists Face Sentencing for $1 Billion Biofuel Scam
by Michele McPhee (Los Angeles Times) The main bad actors in a sprawling scam who formed a very unlikely alliance to defraud the government face a judge, five years after their dramatic arrests -- ... This week, the reckonings in
April 07, 2023 Read Full Article
Biden-Backed California Rule Pushes Clean Trucks
by Camille Von Kenel and Alex Guillen (Politico) Truck manufacturers will have to sell an increasing share of zero emissions vehicles now that the EPA has approved California’s regulations. California will require more zero emission trucks on the roads after a
March 31, 2023 Read Full Article
EPA Fights Push to Revive RFS Waivers, Raising Chance of Circuit Split
(Inside EPA) EPA is fighting a legal push by Wyoming oil refiners for a stay of the agency’s denial of Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance waivers, a move the refiners say would require issuance of the waivers but which EPA
March 28, 2023 Read Full Article
Biofuel-Focused Ryze Renewables Files for Chapter 11
by Amelia Pollard (Bloomberg Law) Ryze Renewables, a company focused on converting agricultural oils and animal fats into low-carbon fuel, filed for bankruptcy on Thursday. The firm listed as much as $500 million in both assets and liabilities in its Chapter 11
March 20, 2023 Read Full Article
Bernstein Liebhard LLP Announces that a Securities Class Action Lawsuit Has Been Filed against Vertex Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTNR)
(Bernstein Liebhard/PR Newswire) Bernstein Liebhard LLP announces that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Vertex Energy, Inc. ("Vertex" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: VTNR) between April 1, 2022 and August 8, 2022, inclusive
March 20, 2023 Read Full Article
'JV Congress': States Say EPA Waiver Gives Calif. too Much Power
by Lesley Clark (Politico Pro Climatewire) The 17 Republican-led states challenging California's ability to set strict tailpipe emissions rules teed up their claims ahead of D.C. Circuit oral arguments in May. Republican states challenging California’s decades-old right to set its own
March 17, 2023 Read Full Article
Farmers Sue Minnesota on Zero Emissions
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Minnesota Ag Interests Sue State on Adoption of California Zero-Emission Mandate -- Agriculture, biofuels and convenience store groups allege the state of Minnesota violated the Constitution and federal law in adopting California's zero-emissions vehicles mandate,
March 15, 2023 Read Full Article
Ethanol Blog -- Iowa, Nebraska Attorneys General to Sue EPA on Delay on E15 Rule Unless Effective Date Moved Up
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The attorneys general of Nebraska and Iowa announced their intent to sue the EPA on its proposed E15 rule for eight states, in a certified letter delivered to EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Monday. The states
March 07, 2023 Read Full Article
RFA: Minnesota E15 Volume Hits Record
(Renewable Fuels Association/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Sales of E15, a gasoline blend containing 15 percent ethanol, hit a record 171 million gallons in Minnesota in 2022, according to a new Renewable Fuels Association analysis of data from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. This
February 22, 2023 Read Full Article
Appeals Court Signals EPA Likely Violated Law in Biofuels Compliance Program
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico Pro) A spokesperson for EPA said it will review the decision. -- A federal appeals court Friday granted a request by two small refiners to halt their compliance obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard — signaling EPA's decision
January 30, 2023 Read Full Article
D.C. Circuit Slated to Hear Case over Extended RFS Compliance Deadlines
(Inside EPA) A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is poised to hear oral argument in refiners’ lawsuit targeting EPA’s extended timetable for complying with renewable fuel standard (RFS) mandates, a measure ostensibly
January 18, 2023 Read Full Article
An Over-Belief in Electrification Is Harming the Climate
by Gustav Melin (Bioenergy International/Swedish Bioenergy Association) ... The energy transition cannot be expedited by support and subsidies -- However, it is difficult to be re-elected on increased carbon dioxide taxes and more expensive energy prices. That’s no excuse, as there are
January 16, 2023 Read Full Article
Federal Court Gives Win to Major Hydrogen, CCS Project
by David Iaconangelo (Politico Pro) If fully built, the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex would become one of the country's first large facilities to capture and store carbon emissions from hydrogen production. -- A federal court has slapped down a Louisiana ordinance
January 05, 2023 Read Full Article
Growth Energy to Fuel Beyond in 2023
by Emily Skor (Growth Energy) ... By any measure, 2022 was a banner year for biofuel advocates in Washington, D.C. We secured new funding for blending infrastructure, critical tax incentives for clean energy, a summer waiver for E15 sales, and
January 03, 2023 Read Full Article
South Dakota Suggests Delaying Summit Carbon Pipeline Hearings to September or Later
by Jeff Beach (AgWeek) Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions wants to start construction in 2023 to benefit the ethanol industry, but some farmers have concerns about damage to farmland and property values. -- South Dakota regulators say they may need to push
December 30, 2022 Read Full Article
Acton Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Scheme to Defraud the Treasury Department of Over $50 Million in Tax-Free Energy Grants
(United States Attorney's Office District of Massachusetts) Defendant obtained more than $8.7 million in undue federal grant funding -- An Acton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with his role in a scheme to defraud the
December 08, 2022 Read Full Article
Refiners Criticize ‘Dystopian’ EPA Plan For Extended RFS Compliance
(Inside EPA) EPA’s revised timeline for complying with renewable fuel standard (RFS) biofuel blending mandates is “dystopian,” according to refiners who are suing to scrap a compliance extension that they say led to an unmanageable pile-up of multiple deadlines as
November 29, 2022 Read Full Article
Refiners Detail Legal Arguments against EPA’s RFS Waiver Denial Policy
(Inside EPA) A coalition of small refiners is sketching out its legal arguments against EPA’s blanket policy of denying all petitions from smaller refineries for economic hardship waivers from the renewable fuel standard (RFS), as many refiners seek to overturn
November 22, 2022 Read Full Article
La. Legal Showdown May Preview National Battle over Hydrogen
by David Iaconangelo (E&E News) The developer of a $4.5 billion hydrogen project in Louisiana is in a legal battle with local lawmakers in a case that analysts say could preview conflicts around the country. Air Products and Chemicals Inc., the developer,
November 18, 2022 Read Full Article
More Stringent Rules for Carbon Capture Pipelines Draw Lawsuit from Ames Company
by Donnelle Eller (Des Moines Register) An Ames company that wants to build a $4.5 billion carbon capture pipeline across Iowa has filed lawsuits against Story and Shelby counties over new ordinances that would require increased distances between the project and homes, churches
November 18, 2022 Read Full Article
ADM, Plaintiffs Agree on Expert Analyst
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) ADM, Plaintiffs Want Economist Appointed to Judge Accuracy of Ethanol Markets Model -- Both sides in an ethanol markets lawsuit have agreed to hire an expert to judge the credibility of an expert witness who
November 15, 2022 Read Full Article
Deadline For EPA Biofuel Proposed Rule Extended by Two Weeks
(GrainNet) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Growth Energy agreed under their consent decree to delay by two weeks the issuance of the proposed 2023 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). EPA is now required
November 04, 2022 Read Full Article
GAO Hammers EPA on RFS Waiver Methods
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) GAO Report: EPA Unable to Prove Small Refiners Pass RFS Costs to Consumers -- Not all small refineries are able to pass costs to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standard on to consumers at the
November 04, 2022 Read Full Article
Ethanol, Ag Intervene in RFS Lawsuit Ethanol, Ag Groups Rally behind EPA on Rejection of 69 Small-Refinery Exemptions
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) The major biofuels interest groups and National Farmers Union are trying to intervene in a lawsuit challenging EPA's recent decision to reject 69 pending applications for small-refinery exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard, according to
November 03, 2022 Read Full Article
Refiners Challenge RFS Small Refinery Alternative-Compliance Schedule
(Inside EPA) Refiners are filing suit against EPA’s “alternative” schedule for small refineries to turn in credits for renewable fuel standard (RFS) compliance, in litigation that will likely allege the extended schedule merely further complicates an already delayed and complex
November 02, 2022 Read Full Article
Ag, States Challenge EPA Action on EVs: Ag Groups, States Say EPA, California Used Back Door to Spread Electric Vehicle Use
by Todd Neeley (DTN Progressive Farmer) Agriculture, fuel interests and several states see EPA's March 2022 decision to reinstate California's legal authority to implement a zero-emissions vehicle sales mandate and greenhouse gas emissions standards as a back-door way to move the
October 28, 2022 Read Full Article
Fuels Groups Flag ‘Major Questions’ In Suit on California Auto GHG Rules
(Inside EPA) Liquid fuels interests challenging EPA’s reinstated approval of California’s vehicle greenhouse gas rules are focusing their legal attacks on claims that the move improperly addresses issues of “vast significance” without clear Clean Air Act (CAA) authority, teeing up
October 26, 2022 Read Full Article
Missouri Loses Appeal Challenging Biden’s Social Cost of Carbon
by Alex Guillén (Politico Pro) The ruling marks the second red state lawsuit against the regulatory metric to fall short. -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Friday rejected a lawsuit brought by Missouri and a dozen other Republican-controlled
October 21, 2022 Read Full Article
EPA Abused Discretion by Denying Suncor Colorado Refineries Exemption from Clean Air Law, Court Says
by Michael Karlik (The Gazette) The federal appeals court based in Denver has overturned a 2019 decision of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that refused to grant Suncor Energy's Commerce City Refinery an exemption to a key environmental law. Although the U.S.
October 18, 2022 Read Full Article
E15 Extended Gasoline Supplies at a Critical Time This Summer and Saved Americans Millions at the Pump
by Scott Richman (Renewable Fuels Association) Following an April 12 announcement by President Biden, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a series of emergency waivers allowing E15 (gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol) to be sold during the 2022 summer driving season. Without
October 18, 2022 Read Full Article
‘It Makes Climate Change Real’: How Carbon Emissions Got Rebranded as ‘Pollution’
by Kate Yoder (Grist) California activists paved the way for defining climate change as an air pollution problem. Now it's federal law. ... Connecting climate change with something visceral and dangerous brings more immediacy to a problem that’s often seen as
October 03, 2022 Read Full Article
Environmental Group Asks Court to Vacate EPA Biofuels Rule
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico Pro) The Center for Biological Diversity called on a federal appeals court Tuesday to vacate EPA's final rule setting renewable fuel volumes for 2020, 2021 and 2022, arguing the agency failed to comply with the Endangered Species
September 28, 2022 Read Full Article
US Biofuel Industry Hopes Their Voices Are Heard as EPA Eyes Final Rules on E15, RFS
by Jasmin Melvin (S&P Global) E15 solution for Midwest states coming: Regan; Biofuel group pushes for nationwide action; Lays out industry priorities for next RFS rulemaking -- A promise by US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan to lift a summertime ban on
September 14, 2022 Read Full Article
Clean Fuels, EPA Agree to Pause Litigation on Separated Food Waste Recordkeeping
(Clean Fuels Alliance America) Following discussions with Clean Fuels members, EPA hopes to resolve dispute without litigation -- Today (September 8, 2022), Clean Fuels Alliance America and the U.S. Department of Justice filed a joint motion with the U.S. Court of
September 14, 2022 Read Full Article
EPA’s Fine PM Rule: A Pitch Ethanol Should Hit Out of the Park
by Doug Durante (Biofuels Digest/Clean Fuels Development Coalition) ... EPA was finalizing their proposed rule to reduce fine particulates. To their credit, they had announced early on that they intended to complete their NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) by August and
September 05, 2022 Read Full Article
Court Approves Decree on Treated Seed Court Requires EPA to Act on Pesticide-Treated Seed Petition Filed by Environmental Groups
by Todd Neeley (DTN ProgressiveFarmer) EPA has 29 days to decide whether to grant or deny a petition calling for the regulation of pesticide-treated seeds, after a federal court on Wednesday approved a consent decree between the agency and the Center
September 02, 2022 Read Full Article
"Democrats Designed the Climate Law to Be a Game Changer. Here’s How."
(Society of Environmental Journalists) "In a first, the measure legally defines greenhouse gases as pollution. That’ll make new regulations much tougher to challenge in court." "When the Supreme Court restricted the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to fight climate change this
August 24, 2022 Read Full Article
Small Refiners Seek to Scrap EPA’s ‘Compressed’ RFS Compliance Rule
(Inside EPA) Small refiners suing EPA over its modified compliance regime for the renewable fuel standard (RFS) say the agency has unlawfully and “extremely” compressed the timetable for them to supply EPA with compliance credits under the guise of a
August 24, 2022 Read Full Article
20 Refiners Appeal RFS Waiver Denials
by Todd Neeley (DNT Progressive Farmer) Refining Companies Line Up to Challenge Biden Administration on Denial of RFS Exemptions -- Though the ethanol industry has celebrated the Biden administration's rejection of all pending small-refinery exemptions to the Renewable Fuel Standard, legal
August 17, 2022 Read Full Article
Refiners File Wave of Fresh Suits over RFS Waiver Denials
(Inside EPA) Refiners have filed a fresh wave of lawsuits against EPA over its denial en masse of their requests for economic hardship waivers from compliance with renewable fuel standard (RFS) biofuel blending mandates, following an earlier series of suits filed by
August 12, 2022 Read Full Article
Bonta Announces Federal Halt to Oil and Gas Drilling in Central California
by Madison Hirneisen (The Center Square) New oil and gas leasing in central California will be prohibited until the U.S. Bureau of Land Management conducts a more thorough review of the impact of drilling in the region under a settlement agreement
August 02, 2022 Read Full Article
7th Circuit Transfers RFS Waiver Case to D.C.
(Inside EPA) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit has granted EPA’s request to transfer a refiner’s lawsuit challenging the agency’s denial of a renewable fuel standard (RFS) compliance waiver to the D.C. Circuit, in what may be
July 27, 2022 Read Full Article
Growth Energy and EPA Reach Agreement on Delayed 2023 Biofuel Requirements
(Growth Energy) Growth Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a consent decree agreement to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that requires EPA to propose the 2023 renewable fuel volume requirements no later than November
July 26, 2022 Read Full Article
Lawsuit Challenges EPA’s Damaging Renewable Fuels Standard
(Center for Biological Diversity) The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals today challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s fuel volume requirements for corn ethanol and other biofuels for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Earlier this
July 21, 2022 Read Full Article
OMB’s Spring Regulatory Agenda Includes Timelines for RFS Rules
by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine) The U.S. EPA has indicated it will release proposed rules related to the 2023 Renewable Fuel Standard renewable volume obligation (RVO) and state requests to allow summer E15 sales within the next several months. The
July 15, 2022 Read Full Article
Climate Lawsuits Proliferate, Confronting Corporate Polluters
by Sara Schonhardt (Politico Pro Climatewire) Experts predict climate litigation will continue to rise over the next year, with a focus on "filling the gaps" of corporate and government policies. -- Lawsuits are increasingly targeting governments and companies for climate
July 15, 2022 Read Full Article
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